Socio-Cultural Working Group Language and Culture Report
Volume One, May 13, 2013
Socio-Cultural Working Group Volume One Language and Culture Report
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Table of Contents Tahltan Language and Culture Planning Framework
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Executive Summary
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Successes So Far
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Introduction
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1. Tahltan Language and Culture Governance
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2. Language Programs
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3. Documentation
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4. Training and Professional Development
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Action Plan
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References
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Appendix A: Tahltan Nation Language Protocol Agreement
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Appendices
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Tahltan Language and Culture Planning Framework Didene E Kune MehĹ?dihi Eku Desijihi All Tahltan People are Living the Tahltan Way of Life
Tahltan language research assistant, Sonia Dennis, presenting a flag to 101-year-old Elder Charles Callbreath on October 18, 2010 – the 100th anniversary our Nation’s declaration. Learning from our Elders is critical to our language’s survival.
101-year-old Charles Callbreath posing for photos with his wife Julia on the 100th anniversary of the Tahltan Declaration just days before he passed away. To his very end, he was thrilled by recent Tahltan language revitalization efforts.
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Executive Summary The Tahltan Nation wishes to create a body that will provide governance and guidance in regards to the revitalization of our language. Much of what needs to be done to revitalize our language can be accomplished under the guidance of this body, often called a language authority, whose role is to: govern language-related initiatives, approve work done on the language, develop languagebased policies, take responsibility for the revitalization future of the language, develop a viable and sustainable plan for community language revitalization, plan and implement language revitalization projects, and certify language teachers. As well, this governing body can provide guidance and assistance to educational, political, and other organizations on matters of language. In order to carry out all of this important work, a Tahltan Nation Language Plan needs to be developed, which will support the vision of language and culture articulated at the Tahltan Leadership Forum in March 2012.
"We need to be working with our fluent speakers now, before they leave us to be with our Ancestors. Our children need to be learning our language the moment they are born." - Judy Thompson, PhD, Tahltan language researcher The Language Plan will also make links to, and overlap with, other categories from the Tahltan Socio-Cultural Working Group (SCWG) work plan, such as Education, Health, and Training and Employment. It is hoped that this Language Plan will empower our people to take control of not only the revitalization of our language, but also our education and health in regards to language revitalization. As well, with the need for human resources to both teach the language and develop documentation resources, there will be career opportunities in language revitalization for many of our people. Our language is so much a part of who we are, and that is stated very clearly in the language and culture vision statement from the Leadership Forum: Didene E Kune Mehōdihi Eku Desijihi, meaning, “All Tahltan people are living the Tahltan way of life.” By promoting our language and creating awareness amongst our people about the importance of our language and how it connects us to our land, our Elders, our Ancestors, our identity as Tahltan people, our well-being and health, it will serve as a form of empowerment for our nation.
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Successes So Far Big Picture •
Language documentation: Major efforts are underway to create digital audio recordings of the Tahltan language from fluent speakers so the language does not disappear.
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Seven staff hired: o Tahltan Language & Culture Lead (Judy Thompson) o Tahltan Language Revitalization Coordinator (Oscar Dennis) o Five Tahltan Language Research Assistants (Odelia Dennis, Reginald Dennis, Ryan Dennis, Verna Vance and Sonia Dennis)
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Networking: Ten Tahltan educators and Tahltan speakers attended the Chief Atahm School 13th Annual First Nations Languages Conference, April 26-27, 2013 in Kamloops. Connections have also been made with the Ministry of Education, Aboriginal Education Branch for language curriculum purposes.
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Professional development: Funding to carry out Tahltan language research will be provided by a portion of a $2.5 million Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Partnership Grant. SFU’s First Nations Language Centre will provide: o $38,000/yr for two years for a post-doctoral fellowship for Dr. Judy Thompson to carry out Tahltan language research o $8,000/yr for two years to fund Master’s level Tahltan language research o $5,000/yr for two years to fund undergraduate level Tahltan language research o $20,000 training funds for Tahltan language researchers for app development, student travel for conferences, and honouraria for fluent speakers
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Office space and equipment: Computers and recording equipment are now in place in Telegraph Creek, Dease Lake and Iskut.
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Digital communications: Website created called didenekeh.com with a detailed language course and downloadable audio files. A very active Facebook Tahltan language community page with 422 members is also up.
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Language authority created – First Peoples’ Cultural Council has provided a grant to help with the creation of a governing body that governs language-related initiatives.
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Current Learning Opportunities K-9 students study Tahltan in schools in Telegraph Creek and Iskut. Others interested, can pursue self-study via: 1. Website: didenekeh.com 2. Conversational lessons: iPod audio files including more than 5,000 word entries from: • recent recordings of fluent speakers from 2012-2013 • digitization of Basic Tahltan Conversation Lessons from 1991 • digitization of James Teit’s Tahltan song recordings from 1912-1915 • booklet and audio - “Kuji K’at Dahdahwhesdetch” - “Now I Told All of You: Tahltan Language Stories Told by Iskut Elders” • previous recordings of our people over the last century such as Peter Henyu 3. Facebook: pilot course (Tałtan Thomas) using Talking Thomas as the audio medium, using newly discovered patterns as the basis of the course
Future Learning Programs Language nests: Children, aged zero to five, spend several hours at a time with fluent speakers. The Chief Atahm School on the Adams Lake reserve has been running language nests since 1987. Immersion schools: School children would be 100% immersed in the Tahltan language. This is based on the successful Chief Atahm School model running since 1991 which immerses students in Secwepemctsin language from Kindergarten to Grade Eight. Master-apprentice program: Grants are available for learners to acquire the language from fluent speakers part time over three years.
On revitalizing our language: “We just have to try. It’s a difficult task, but the process of learning our language gives us a greater connection to our Ancestors, Elders, culture, and the land.” - Judy Thompson, PhD, Tahltan language researcher
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Introduction In March 2012, Tahltan Leadership and community members gathered to discuss the vision and goals for the Tahltan Nation in a range of areas, including language and culture, and resulted in the document entitled “Getting Our Voices Back.” The document articulates the Vision and Goals for language revitalization for the Tahltan Nation.
Vision Statement Didene E Kune Mehōdihi Eku Desijihi “All Tahltan people are living the Tahltan way of life”
Goals 1. Create a Tahltan language authority 2. Bring back dances, songs, ceremonies, potlatches, and oral stories 3. Put Tahltan place names onto an atlas within three years
Language researcher Judy Thompson (left), with her late grandparents Julia and Charles Callbreath, at the 100th anniversary celebration of the signing of the Tahltan celebration.
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1. Tahltan Language and Culture Governance Governance Structure The following governance structure has been created for Tahltan language and culture: 1. Political support and direction will be provided by the elected political leadership of each community. 2. A Tahltan Language and Culture Advisory Panel will be struck to provide general guidance and support to communities. The Tahltan Language and Culture Advisory Panel will be made up of: a minimum of one fluent speaker who is appointed by Council from each community (including the TCC) and will: •
Provide advice to and seek support from Leadership in regard to promoting language and culture revitalization
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Provide guidance in the creation of short and long-term language and culture revitalization plans
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Act as a language authority in the certification of Tahltan language teachers for the BC Teacher Regulation Branch
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Serve as the decision-making body for language and culture revitalization
3. The Language and Culture Working Group will be made up of the Tahltan Language and Culture Lead and Tahltan Language Revitalization Coordinators from all three communities. This group will seek guidance from the Tahltan Language and Culture Advisory Panel in order to collaborate, plan, and administer the Tahltan Language and Culture Plan. 4. The working group will provide guidance to the Tahltan Language Research Assistants (representatives from all three communities) in order to carry out the Tahltan Language and Culture Plan.
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Language Research Interviews have been carried out with fluent speakers, language teachers, retired language teachers, educators, administrators, and language learners, all of Tahltan ancestry, to find out their ideas and experiences regarding Tahltan language revitalization. As well, over the last several years, a draft strategic plan was created with the input of community members. While this feedback over the years has been invaluable, it is important to reach out to all members of our Tahltan Nation. A language survey would determine the status of the language, and what members would like to see in terms of the revitalization of our language. Research has been carried out with language authorities around the province to get a sense of their governance, terms of reference, membership, and what they named their governing body. Research has also been carried out by communicating with scholars who have worked with our Tahltan communities, other Indigenous community language revitalization experts, and international language revitalization scholars regarding Indigenous language revitalization and language programs that have been developed and offered worldwide. Ongoing communication with the Ministry of Education’s Aboriginal Education Department, as well as the First Peoples’ Cultural Council, have contributed to our understanding of effective language revitalization strategies and language curriculum. Documents have also been gathered (both hardcopies and electronic copies) that will help in our language revitalization journey.
"What's so exciting is we've found the problem to learning Tahltan. English is not encoded with patterns. Whereas [Tahltan] is. We figured this out, so now we can teach it!” - Oscar Dennis, Tahltan Language Revitalization Coordinator in Iskut
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Spreading the word Language community meeting in Iskut
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Communication Communication with Tahltan members about the revitalization of our language is crucial. A way to present and promote the language is through community meetings, newsletters, and having an online presence.
Community support and awareness We have to have the will to revitalize our language. This can only come about if our people are aware of how important our language is to us as a people, and how fundamentally our language is connected to our land, our Elders, our Ancestors, our Tahltan identity. By raising awareness about the importance of our language through several communication venues, we hope to garner support from all of our Tahltan members.
Promotion of the language A big part of community awareness would include promotion of the language, which would involve raising “the consciousness level of our people” (Kirkness, 2002, p. 18). In the words of Indigenous scholar Verna Kirkness (2002), in order to save Indigenous languages, “there is a need to ensure that our people know why our languages are nearing extinction and why our languages are so important to our lives and to who we are” (p.18). There is a need to encourage and motivate our people to use the language in all areas of their lives. That would include using the language in the workplace, at community gatherings, and everyday activities. Several of our people have emphasized the importance of celebrating individuals who have made a positive difference in regards to our language and culture – the need to “potlatch our successes and accomplishments” (Vera Asp, personal communication, 2012). These individuals could be called “language champions,” which First Peoples’ Cultural Council (2010) defines as people who are advocates for their languages, who work “to develop teaching resources, archives, documentation, and to teach the language to others” (p. 24). It is also important for non-Tahltans, and more generally, non-Aboriginal people, to understand how crucial it is to preserve and revitalize Aboriginal languages that were here before Canada as a nation was born. In the words of Dr. Lorna Williams, Lil’wat from the St’at’yem’c First Nation: “It’s important to recognize and acknowledge that when people made or make their homes on the lands we now call Canada, that they take on the heritage of the languages located on those lands. It’s extremely important that the public recognizes all Indigenous languages as their heritage; then governments must respond to ensure the knowledge and wisdom embedded in the languages are protected. These languages exist nowhere else in the world (as cited in Sharpe, 2010, p. 4).
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2. Language Programs An important component of language revitalization is to provide as many opportunities for communities to learn and use their language. Different language programming is available for different age groups, with some taking place within the education system, while others are community driven. It is important that all of the language programming start at the community level with our people being the driving force behind the organization and implementation.
Children/Youth Children and youth include newborns to 18 years of age.
Pre-school programs (0-5 years) While there is some language learning happening in the Aboriginal Head Start Programs in Telegraph Creek and Iskut, there is a need for more language to be taught to children at this crucial age. While Aboriginal Head Start programs target children ages three to five, our children need to be learning the Tahltan language as soon as they are born. The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (1996) states that the first three years of a child’s life are critical for laying the foundation of sound making. “Young children absorb information at a greater rate than at any other stage of life” (Vol. 3, p. 447). According to linguist Marianne Ignace (1998), babies begin to acquire language within months of being born, and by the age of five, they have mastered the basic sound system and grammar of their mother tongue. Therefore, it is crucial to focus on early childhood programs that involve young children and their parents (Fishman, 1991). One method that has been successful in other parts of the world is early childhood language immersion programming, more commonly known as a “language nest” program (McIvor, 2005). Such immersion preschool programs are conducted entirely in the ancestral language of an Indigenous group. While Aboriginal Head Start programs target children ages three to five, perhaps this provincial organization could work with the community to facilitate a language nest with an age range of newborn to five. Another way in which to have newborns and toddlers learning the language is to have parents speaking the language in the home. If parents are not fluent speakers, we need to ensure that adults have access to ways of learning the language.
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K-12 school programs The language is taught from grades K-9 in Iskut and Telegraph Creek, but not Dease Lake. In the language classes, the teachers are developing lessons as they go. These courses are not accredited and do not have learning outcomes prescribed for them by the Ministry of Education. A formal K-12 curriculum needs to be developed, and approved by the B.C. Ministry of Education. This would include Integrated Resource Package and Prescribed Learning Outcomes components. If students can be given credit for their language courses, Tahltan would be seen as a viable language course for university requirements. But most importantly, this accreditation would give more respect to our language as a school subject. High school students are also able to take post-secondary courses and use them towards their B.C. Dogwood Diploma, so any language courses offered for adults may be used towards graduation requirements.
Immersion programs Schools need to find a way to get their students out on the land with Elders and fluent speakers more often so that they can learn about the connection between our language and the land. Tahltan language teachers have spoken about wanting to have the opportunity to take students out on the land to teach them about traditional activities in conjunction with the language, which would also tie into other academic disciplines and subject areas, such as math, science, and social studies. One way to do this is to support the development of school immersion programs. At this time, children are only allotted 20-30 minutes per day of Tahltan language instruction, and parents spoke about the need for our language to be an integral part of the whole curriculum and not just an add-on. An immersion school would have the children learning all of their subject areas in the Tahltan language.
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Parents/Adults Home Our Elders have stated that if we want our children to learn the language, it is imperative that the language is being spoken in the home. However, most parents are not fluent in the language, which is why many of our people have spoken about the importance of having a way for parents and adults to access the language. Taking Tahltan language courses can help parents make a connection with their children and their children’s learning of the language. This way, the learning takes place at home and school, with parents acting as language teachers. It is important that the parents are provided with teaching and learning tools in order to promote the speaking of the language in the home.
Language courses/programs One way for parents and adults to begin to learn the language is to take courses in our language. These courses could be formal or informal, online or face-to-face. For post-secondary courses and programs, refer to “post-secondary opportunities” under Section Four: Training and Professional Development.
Master-Apprentice program The Master-Apprentice program (MAP) is a method that provides a way for individuals to learn their Indigenous language from a native speaker. Unlike other methods, this one can be more individually based. It usually involves one speaker and one learner working together for 10 to 20 hours a week for several years. Some of the principles of the Master-Apprentice System include: not speaking English; no translation between the Aboriginal language and English; speaking the language more than writing it; and having the apprentice being an active member of the team. After two to three years of working together, the learner or “apprentice” can become conversationally proficient. First Peoples’ Cultural Council (FPCC) has provided funding to interested and motivated individuals who would like to learn their language using the model of the Master-Apprentice Language Learning Method. The next call for proposals for MAP is expected to come in Spring 2013. It is important that as many Tahltan teams apply for this funding as possible. The language working group could assist with the administration of that program so that the apprentice, who is usually tasked with that responsibility, would have more time to spend on working with the fluent speaker and learning the language. At the present time, FPCC is supporting one Tahltan MAP team.
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Immersion sessions In the fall of 2012, two immersion sessions were offered in Iskut. The immersion portion of the evening lasted about an hour, with the preparation, summary, and evaluation taking another hour or so. At least three fluent speakers were in attendance, along with a few semi-fluent speakers. Before the session began they would say, "Dah thake hodeside zeda," – “Let's only speak our language.” Once the session was finished, they would say, "Iskuk'an thake hodeside," – "Let's speak the English language." Everyday objects were used, and the Tahltan words were also written on a whiteboard so that learners would become familiar with the Tahltan orthography. Games were developed and played to encourage speaking in the Tahltan language. By having these immersion sessions, language learners learn certain phrases, as well as having the opportunity to hear the Tahltan language without the use of English for a specified period of time. As well, it gives fluent speakers the opportunity to speak the language. This is a perfect opportunity for parents to learn the language, as well as a way to connect our Elders with the younger generation.
All Ages Activities and organized events that provide a way for all generations to carry out traditional cultural activities in the language are especially powerful.
Language and culture camps The two Tahltan health authorities, along with the Stikine Wholistic Group, have taken on a key role in language revitalization by organizing language and culture camps that provide opportunities for Tahltan community members to hear and speak Tahltan when carrying out cultural activities. It also provides a way to bring all generations together. These camps need to be part of the Tahltan Language Plan, and language-learning materials could be developed to enhance the language learning experience.
Cultural activities Tahltan educators have spoken about how cultural activities, such as song and dance, can be entry points into language. Our community needs to embrace song and dance by providing opportunities for all ages to take part in cultural activities that include the use of our Tahltan language, especially since this was emphasized in the goals.
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Going Digital Using iPods to share more than 5,000 recordings of Tahltan language with learners.
Elder Mary Dennis listening to iPod sound files with language researcher Odelia Dennis (middle) and fluent speaker / language teacher Angela Dennis (right).
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3. Documentation Much work needs to be done in terms of documentation and recording of the Tahltan language. While the product that would come from such work is crucial (e.g. dictionaries, language learning materials, etc.), the actual process is as important as it brings together fluent speakers, with the vast majority being elderly, with the younger generation.
Recordings It is crucial to record and document the language. This past year, we have lost a number of Tahltan Elders who were either fluent or semi-fluent in the language. As well, there is also a need for an inventory of existing documentation, including audio and video-recordings. Such documentation can be used in the development of teaching materials, such as books, dictionaries, audiotapes, videotapes, DVDs, and CDs (Hinton, 2001). This needs to be part of the Tahltan Language Authority’s overall plan to revitalize the Tahltan language. In order to continue with the documentation of the Tahltan language, plans need to be put in place in regards to priorities, as well as who will carry out the documentation, what will be documented, and how it will be documented. “We must capture the purest oral forms of our languages to ensure that they will be available to future generations” (Kirkness, 2002, p. 17). There is a need to make more recordings including stories, songs, life experiences, knowledge and wisdom about our relationship with the land.
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Old recordings The Tahltan Central Council has a heritage department in Dease Lake where recordings from a 1980s study dealing with governance and sovereignty are housed. There are a total of 415 digital files, with each file being the equivalent of a 45-minute tape (Asp & Banci, 2012). A research team made up of six Tahltan researchers and one non-Tahltan researcher interviewed Tahltan people born between 1880 and 1930 (Asp & Banci, 2012). There is a need to transcribe and translate the Tahltan language contained in those 415 digital files (Asp & Banci, 2012). In a presentation given at the Tahltan Central Council’s annual general meeting in 2012, Vera Asp stated: Tahltan oral data, collected by the 1980’s study, offers us voices of our Ancestors and provides the Tahltans of today, evidence and example of Tahltan sovereignty, past and present. The interviews, the questions asked and answered, our language, the context, the knowledge and ultimately data of our past is beyond imagination. The knowledge provided information on all systems of sovereignty of the Tahltan Nation (Asp, 2012). We also need to reach out to our band offices and individual Tahltan members about recordings that have been made of our fluent speakers and Elders. If they are willing to share these recordings, the recordings could be digitized (if recorded in an analog form) and restored, and then returned to the owner. They could then be made accessible to all members, and be used to develop language-learning materials.
New recordings The Tahltan Language Revitalization Coordinators and the Tahltan Language Research Assistants are utilizing iPods to record data with family members in an interactive day-to-day basis. This data is then edited for the digital database/archive. So far, over 5000 word entries have been entered and this database can be downloaded to Tahltan members’ iPods, iPads, iPhones, or other mobile devices. There is also in iBook version of the website course curriculum (didenekeh.com) that can be downloaded onto iPads.
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Dictionary and grammar guide While there is a Tahltan Children’s Illustrated Dictionary (Carter & Tahltan Tribal Council, 1994), there is a need to create a more extensive dictionary. Currently, work is being done on the dictionary to update it and add more entries. As well, a grammar guide is also being created.
Language learning materials The language teachers have been developing curriculum for use in their classrooms. However, they do not always have the time or training. It is vital that language teachers be given the tools and time to do this work. As well, curriculum developers need to be enlisted to support the development of much-needed curriculum and other language support materials. The documentation of language can be used to develop language-learning materials to increase the use of the Tahltan language and to assist language teachers. The Tahltan Ancestral Study team, which is under the Tahltan Central Council’s Tahltan Heritage Resources Environmental Assessment Team (THREAT), has been working on an atlas consisting of 36 maps based on a 1980s study on governance and sovereignty. All of these maps would be valuable assets in the language classroom. As well, there is a need to continue to work with Elders to record and document more place names to add to the atlas, especially since this was emphasized in the goals.
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Learning Tahltan online didenekeh.com
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Technology At this point in time, the only Tahltan language materials that have been archived online are Tahltan language lessons (didenekeh.com) and youtube videos that connect images with Tahltan words. It is important that we take advantage of technology for language revitalization, without losing connections to community and the land. Technology can be a way to connect with the younger generation and a way for Tahltan members who do not live on Tahltan territory to have a way to learn the Tahltan language. The use of social networking sites is also a way for people to make language and cultural connections with each other. It is crucial that we involve our youth in the revitalization of our language, and technology may be the way to do that. With the increased usage of smartphones (e.g. iPhone, Blackberry) and tablet computers (e.g. iPad, Galaxy Tab), application software (or “apps�) are being pursued to allow people to interact and learn Indigenous languages using such mobile devices.
Archives/repository While the Tahltan Central Council has archives in their office in Dease Lake, it is important to create a library where copies of language documents (both written and audio-and-video recordings) can be stored and be accessible to the Tahltan community (Virtue and Gessner, 2012). These materials should be accessible as hard copies and/or electronic copies.
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4. Training and Professional Development It is crucial that our people be provided with training and professional development in regards to revitalizing our language. Our people need to be provided with as many opportunities so that they can become teachers, curriculum developers, linguists, recorders, and documenters of our language. An important part of this training is to have programs coming to our communities, as opposed to our people having to leave our territory in order to receive an education. Communitybased delivery is often more appropriate in order to make programs more flexible and welcoming to First Nations communities. Training and educational institutes can work in partnership with our communities to create meaningful educational programs that respect and honour our people’s ways.
Certification of Language Teachers Conversations with the current language teachers emphasized the importance of having a Tahltan Language Authority. The B.C. Teacher Regulation Branch recognizes First Nations Language Authorities. Once a language authority has been established, this body has the ability to recommend proficient speakers of their language be given a First Nations Language Certificate. By having this valid B.C. teaching certification, these speakers are able to teach in B.C. schools so that they can pass on their language to future generations. Without this certification, there are often individuals who are taking on the role of language teacher but not given the credentials, pay, or professional development that is accorded to teachers in the public school system. The Tahltan Language Authority would have the power to recognize Tahltan language teachers by recommending them for certification by the B.C. Teacher Regulation Branch.
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Teacher Training Language teachers In two of our communities, our language teachers have each been given the job title “Aboriginal Language and Cultural Assistant.” These individuals are hired as staff members to help “teachers in developing, preparing, presenting, and integrating Aboriginal language/cultural activities into the regular curriculum” (School District 87, 2008). Because these language teachers have been carrying out the responsibilities of a certified teacher without the recognition or pay, they have felt the need for more training, support, and professional development. The Developmental Standard Term Certificate in First Nations Language and Culture (DSTC) is a program that was developed by First Nations communities, the First Nations Education Steering Committee, and the B.C. College of Teachers. It requires students to enroll in 90 credit hours of course work at post-secondary institutions. Since it began in 1999, eight First Nations organizations have partnered with post-secondary institutions to offer this program. This may be one way in which our language teachers can receive teacher certification. It is important to have qualified teachers, as well as having a number of other educational and/or language professionals (e.g. curriculum developers, linguists and language researchers), in order to provide support for each other and for the development of learning materials (Johns & Mazurkewich, 2001). It is also important to provide teachers with the linguistic and pedagogical training to teach Aboriginal languages (Johns & Mazurkewich, 2001). Language teaching needs to focus on authentic language use and on teaching discourse skills (Omaggio Hadley, 2001). The academic discipline of Indigenous Language Revitalization is a growing field, with several B.C. post-secondary institutes developing new certificate, diploma, Bachelor, and Master level programs.
Other teachers While the focus has been on the training and professional development of Tahltan language teachers, it is also important to provide support for non-Tahltan teachers who are teaching in our schools. This support could be in the form of accredited curriculum that brings Tahltan language and culture into the classroom, as well as providing workshops and professional development experiences that focus on how to provide ways for our children to see themselves reflected in both the curriculum and in their learning experiences.
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Community Training If the language teachers are not fluent speakers of their language, it is vital that they have fluent speakers coming into their classroom on a regular basis. Even if the teacher is a fluent speaker, other fluent speakers should be coming to the classroom so that the students can hear their language spoken conversationally and by different fluent speakers. While it is crucial to train language teachers within the K-12 system, it is also important to ensure that fluent speakers who are going into K-12 and post-secondary classrooms to teach Aboriginal language courses are trained and feel both confident and competent. This training would benefit not only the current language teachers, but also for back-up teachers who would replace the regular language teachers. This is so that the persons filling in for the language teachers would feel confident and be proficient in the duties that they would be expected to carry out in the language classroom. This would benefit not only the teacher, but the on-call teacher and students as well. It is also important to train community members as language support workers in the classroom. Our people also need to be trained in the ways of recording, documenting, and digitizing our language. From this work, they can learn how to build an archive for the Tahltan language.
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Post-Secondary Opportunities There are language revitalization programs offered around the province and in other parts of the world which would benefit our people. Depending on the program, some post-secondary institutes are willing to teach the courses in the communities if they are able to get a cohort with a certain number of students. While not exhaustive, listed below are examples of such courses and programs that are being offered. Northwest Community College University of Northern British Columbia University of Victoria
FNST 120 – Aboriginal Languages: Preservation & Revitalization Tahltan 101/102 Tahltan 201/202 (in development) Certificate in First Nations Languages FNST 223 & 324 (focus on First Nations Language Immersion) Certificate in Language Revitalization Diploma in Language Revitalization Bachelor of Education in Indigenous Language Revitalization
University of British Columbia
Simon Fraser University Massachusetts Institute of Technology University of Arizona
Graduate Certificate & MA or M.Ed in Indigenous Language Revitalization FNLG 480 – Endangered Language Documentation & Revitalization LLED 480 – Multimedia Technology & Indigenous Language Revitalization LLED 565 – Global Perspectives on Indigeneity: Solidarity, Struggle, and Possibilities in Language & Literacy Education Certificate in First Nations Language Proficiency Graduate Certificate & MA in First Nations Language Proficiency and Revitalization (in development) Indigenous Language Initiative – Ken Hale Memorial Master’s Program (community able to send more than one student for 2 years to learn about the linguistics of their language & be able to carry out both scholarly & practical work in their language) MA in Native American Languages and Linguistics, focus on Indigenous languages and communities
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Networking Tahltan community members should attend to symposiums, workshops and other scholarly meetings dealing with language revitalization so that those representatives can share, learn, and network with other people with the same interest in revitalizing Indigenous languages. One conference that representatives from all three communities will be attending is the Chief Atahm Immersion School Language Conference in April 2013. Other examples of relevant language conferences are the Stabilizing Indigenous Language Symposium, the Athabaskan/Dene Languages Conference, and the Conference on Language Documentation and Conservation.
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Action Plan The following tables provide an action plan for the completion of the Language Revitalization Planning Framework.
Language Priority Area 1. Language Governance
Outcome Establish sustainable governance structure
Actions/Activities
Participants / Partners
Year 1 Year 2 (2012-2013) Participants: Hiring of Establish and community Tahltan ratify terms of members, Language & reference SCWG Culture Lead Establish how Partners: FPCC, Establish Language coordinators makeup and Authority will from language purpose of: recognize and authorities language & evaluate around the culture proficient province, BC advisory language Teacher panel, speakers for Regulation working group certification to Branch BC Teacher Establish Regulation Tahltan Nation Branch Language Protocol Set meeting Agreement schedule
Year 3 Continue to create new words/ phrases
Year 4+ Monitoring and Evaluation
Come up with name for governing body in the Tahltan language Creation of new words/ phrases
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Language Priority Area
Outcome
Actions/Activities
Participants / Partners
Year 1 Year 2 (2012-2013) Carry out Participants: Carry out Carry out research for Community research on: language Language members, survey Planning working group 1) status of Process language Develop Partners: FPCC, Guiding Ministry of 2) language Principles for Education, authorities Tahltan post-secondary around the Language institutes, province Planning Indigenous nations 3) language Begin to worldwide programs implement around the Tahltan world Language Plan 4) gathering of language documents Establish a Participants: Have Promote communication -TCC meetings in language by process -SCWG communities having it -Tahltan Band spoken in Council meetings, at -Iskut Band workplaces; Council community events Plan several community meetings throughout the year
Year 3
Year 4+
Continue to implement Tahltan Language Plan
Monitoring and Evaluation
Continue to promote language by honouring “language champions� and updates of work in newsletters and online
Monitoring and Evaluation
Plan yearly Tahltan language symposium Create newsletter & online presence
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Language Priority Area 2. Language Programs
Outcome Develop programs for children and youth 1) pre-school 2) K-12 3) Immersion programs
Actions/Activities
Participants / Partners
Year 1 (2012-2013) 1) Participants: Meet with Dr. fluent speakers, Kathryn community Michel, comembers, founder of parents Adam’s Lake language Partners: SD nest, Dr. #87, Headstart, Candace FPCC, Galla, Friendship Hawaiian Centre professor Pregnancy Outreach program, provincial language nest programs 2) Participants: Meet with Dr. language Trish teachers, Rosborough, Tahltan Director curriculum Aboriginal Ed, developer & Min of Ed teachers Attend Partners: SD Indigenous #87, SD # 52, Languages Min of Ed Consultation meeting, Ministry of Education 3) Participants: Meet with Dr. language Kathryn teachers, Michel, coTahltan founder of curriculum Chief Atahm developers & Immersion teachers School Partners: -Chief Atahm School
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Year 2 Attend Chief Atahm conference & visit Adam’s Lake language nest
Year 3
Year 4+
Develop plan Monitoring to start and language nest Evaluation in one of the communities
Research logistics of starting language nest
Research other school districts in province & their language curriculum Hire curriculum development team & start to develop language curriculum Attend Chief Atahm conference, April 2013 Research logistics of starting Immersion School
Continue to develop accredited language curriculum
Develop plan to start Immersion School in one of the communities
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Language Priority Area
Outcome
Actions/Activities
Participants / Partners
Year 1 (2012-2013)
Develop/offer 1) Participants: programs for parents, parents & adults children, Tahltan curriculum 1) Home developer Partners: SD #87 2) Participants: 3) Masterworking group, Apprentice fluent speakers, Program (MAP) Tahltan professor 4) Immersion sessions Partners: NWCC 3) Participants: fluent speakers, language learners
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4+
Develop Develop language online/ manual for recorded parents to use materials to in the home accompany manual
Monitoring and Evaluation
2) Courses/ programs
Tahltan Offer NWCC's Offer NWCC's language FNST 120 Tahltan course 101/102 available online: didenekeh.com
One Tahltan MAP team working on 2nd year
MAP team working on 3rd year
Add "Offer NWCC's Tahltan 201/202
MAP teams working on 2nd year
Have several Have more MAP teams MAP teams apply for apply for FPCC funding FPCC funding & support & support 4) Participants Immersion Offer Offer immersion -fluent speakers, sessions immersion sessions in all 3 semi-fluent offered in sessions in all communities as speakers, Iskut 3 communities well as noncommunity Tahltan members communities if feasible Develop 1) Participants: Culture Develop Continue to Monitoring programs for all both Tahltan camps language develop and ages health organized by program/ language Evaluation authorities, both health curriculum for curriculum for 1) Culture Tahltan authorities culture camps culture camps camps curriculum developer 2) Language & culture evenings Partners: SWWG Partners: -FPCC
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ages 1) Culture camps Actions/Activities
Language 2) Language & Participants / Outcome Priority Area culture evenings Partners
Year 1 (2012-2013)
2) Participants: community members, fluent speakers, cultural experts (song, dance, beading, regalia making, etc.) Partners: -Friendship Centres 3.
Recordings
1) Participants:
Documentation 1) Transcription THREAT/TUS, & translation of working group old recordings Partners: 2) Creation of linguists new recordings 2) Participants: fluent speakers, community members, working group, SCWG
Hiring of Tahltan Language Revitalization Coordinator & Tahltan Language Research Assistants from all 3 communities (working group) to document language
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4+
Plan Tahltan language and culture evenings in both Tahltan and nonTahltan communities (e.g. Terrace, Smithers, Prince Rupert, Vancouver, Whitehorse) Transcribe & translate Tahltan language on tapes from 80s study
-continue to offer language & culture evenings in both Tahltan and nonTahltan communities
Continue working on the documentation of the language
Continue working on the documentation of the language
Continue to transcribe & translate Tahltan language on tapes from 80s study
Monitoring and Evaluation
documentation documentation
Purchase of recording equipment and computers
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Language Priority Area
Outcome
Actions/Activities
Participants / Partners
Year 1 (2012-2013) Development of Participants: Hiring of a dictionary & Tahltan grammar guide -fluent Language speakers, Revitalization community Coordinator members, &Tahltan working group Language Research Assistants from all 3 communities (working group) to work on dictionary and grammar guide Development of Participants: Research language fluent speakers, Tahltan learning language languagematerials teachers, learning Tahltan materials curriculum already developer developed Partners: -SD #87 -Ministry of Education -FNESC Development of Participants: technology for working group language learning Partners: -FirstVoices
Research other languagelearning materials that have been developed Online course available (didenekeh.co m)
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4+
Continue Continue Monitoring working on working on and documentation documentation Evaluation & development & development of dictionary & of dictionary & grammar guide grammar guide
Research other school districts in province & their language curriculum Hire curriculum development team & start to develop language curriculum Make digital language materials available to all members
Continue to develop language learning materials
Monitoring and Evaluation
Continue to Monitoring develop digital and learning Evaluation materials
Development of digital language materials that can be downloaded to mobile devices
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Language Priority Area
Outcome
Actions/Activities
Participants / Partners
Year 1 (2012-2013)
Development of Participants: Archives/ working group, Repository TCC, THREAT
Training and Professional Development
Certification of Language teachers
Training of teachers 1) Language teachers 2) Other teachers
Year 3
Develop an Continue to archive of all work on digital archive language files/ materials that is accessible to all Tahltan members
Partners:
4.
Year 2
-SFU (through SSHRC research grant) Participants: Establish Establish how makeup and Language -Tahltan purpose of: Authority will Language language & recognize and Authority, culture evaluate language committee, proficient teachers language language authority, speakers for Partners: BC advisory certification to Teacher group, BC Teacher Regulation working group Regulation Branch Branch Participants: community members, both band councils, Tahltan educators, Tahltan curriculum developer, working group
Research PD opportunities for language teachers
Research possibilities of postsecondary institutes bring Partners: post- programs to secondary our territory institutes, SD # 87, Min of Ed
Research PD opportunities/ ideas for nonlanguage teachers &/or non-Tahltan teachers
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Year 4+ Monitoring and Evaluation
Monitoring and Evaluation
Work with Continue to Monitoring postwork with and secondary postEvaluation institutes to secondary bring courses/ institutes to programs to bring courses/ our territory programs to our territory Advertise to members training/PD possibilities in language revitalization training to ascertain interest Implement PD Continue to opportunities implement PD for nonopportunities language &/or for nonnon-Tahltan language &/or teachers non-Tahltan teachers
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Language Priority Area
Outcome
Participants / Partners
Training of Community members
Access postsecondary opportunities
Participants: community members, both band councils Partners: NWCC, UVic, SFU, UBC, UNBC, MIT, U of Arizona
Create networking opportunities
Participants: fluent speakers, headstart, language teachers, working group
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Actions/Activities Year 1 (2012-2013) Train community members to record, document and digitize language
Build relationships with all postsecondary institutes offering Tahltan language courses and/ or language revitalization courses/ programs
Information in TCC newsletter about Tahltan Nation Language Coordinator
Year 2 Provide training for language support workers & oncall teachers similar to training for teachers
Year 3
Year 4+
Provide Monitoring training and and access to Evaluation equipment to members wanting to learn how to record, document and digitize language
Train more community members to record, document and digitize language Offer NWCC's Offer Monitoring FNST 120 NWCC’s and Tahltan Evaluation Work with 101/102 postOffer secondary Continue to NWCC’s institutes to work with 201/202 bring courses/ postprograms to secondary our territory institutes to bring courses/ Have programs to community our territory members apply for Have courses/ community programs members apply for courses/ programs Have Have Monitoring community representation and representatives from all Evaluation attend Chief communities Atahm attending Immersion other School language Conference conferences April 26-27, 2013
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References Asp, V. J. (2012, June). Tahltan Ancestral Study: Multi-generational land planning and research. Presentation at Tahltan Central Council’s Annual General Meeting, Telegraph Creek, BC. Asp, V., & Banci, V. (2012, March). Tahltan Ancestral Study (TAS): Translation and transcription of audio heritage materials – “Filling in the blanks.” Draft proposal presented to the Stikine Wholistic Working Group at Tahltan Central Council’s Socio-cultural meeting, Dease Lake, BC. Carter, C., & Tahltan Tribal Council. (1994). Tahltan children's illustrated dictionary. Dease Lake, BC: Tahltan Tribal Council. First Nations Steering Committee. (n.d.). Development Standard Term Certificate. Retrieved July 3, 2012, from http://www.fnesc.ca/atec/dstc.html First Peoples’ Heritage, Language and Culture Council. (2010). Report on the status of BC First Nations Languages 2010. Brentwood Bay, BC: First Peoples’ Heritage, Language and Culture Council. Retrieved from http://www.fphlcc.ca/downloads/2010-report-on-the-statusof-bc-first-nations-languages.pdf Fishman, J. (1991). Reversing language shift: Theoretical and empirical foundations of assistance to threatened languages. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters Ltd. Hinton, L. (2001). Language revitalization: An overview. In L. Hinton, & K. Hale (Eds.), The green book of language revitalization in practice (pp. 3-18). San Diego, CA: Academic Press. Ignace, M. B. (1998). Handbook for Aboriginal language program planning in British Columbia. Vancouver, BC: First Nations Education Steering Committee. Johns, A., & Mazurkewich, I. (2001). The role of the university in the training of Native language teachers. In L. Hinton, & K. Hale (Eds.), The green book of language revitalization in practice (pp. 355-366). San Diego, CA: Academic Press. Kirkness, V. (2002). The preservation and use of our languages: Respecting the natural order of the creator. In B. Burnaby, & J. Reyhner (Eds.), Indigenous languages across the community (pp. 17-23). Flagstaff, Arizona: Northern Arizona University. Socio-Cultural Working Group Report
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McIvor, O. (2005). Building the nests: Indigenous language revitalization in Canada through early childhood immersion programs. (Unpublished master’s thesis). University of Victoria, Victoria, BC. Omaggio Hadley, A. (2001). Teaching language in context (3rd ed.). Boston: Heinle Cengage Learning. Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. (1996). Gathering strength: Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. Ottawa: Minister of Supply and Services. School District 87 (Stikine). (2008). School district 87 Aboriginal programs. Retrieved from http:// www.sd87.bc.ca/AbEd Sharp, T. (2010). It’s common knowledge in communities. The Ring, 36 (6), 1,4. Retrieved June 1, 2012, from http://ring.uvic.ca/sites/default/files/archive/ringjune2010-web.pdf Virtue, H., & Gessner, S. (2012, May). B.C.’s language authority & language plan development. Workshop presentation at the 19th Stabilizing Indigenous Languages Symposium, Kamloops, BC. Retrieved from: http://www.fpcc.ca/files/PDF/ Language_Authority_WorkshopSILS19-2012.pdf
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Appendix A: Tahltan Nation Language Protocol Agreement Tahltan Nation Language Protocol Agreement Between Tahltan Central Council Tahltan Band Council Iskut Band Council
Background: According to the First Peoples’ Cultural Council’s 2010 Framework for Defining and Measuring Language Endangerment, the Tahltan language is considered to be in the “Critically Endangered – Nearly Extinct” level of endangerment. This is because it is no longer being learned as a first language by children, is only spoken by the grandparent generation and up, and it is not normally spoken by adults and children, with the exception of some individuals who are learning the language. In regards to usage, our language is rarely spoken in homes or in the workplace. There is some usage at culture camps, and leaders and others at community events are starting to use it in their addresses and speeches. In regards to educational institutes, there is limited use of the Tahltan language in pre-school programs, while there are language classes being taught in two out of the three schools, with students getting approximately 30 minutes of Tahltan language instruction per day. There have been post-secondary level courses developed, but they have not been taught as of yet. Our fluent speakers are our most valuable resource. Based on numbers supplied to First Peoples’ Cultural Council by the two Tahltan health authorities (Tahltan Health and Social Services Authority and Iskut Valley Health Services) in 2010, there were 50 fluent speakers of the Tahltan language out of a reported population of 1,377. Based on that population, there were 4% fluent speakers, 19% semi-speakers, and 18% learners of the Tahltan language. Since 2010, we have lost several fluent speakers, and so the need to document, preserve, and revitalize our language is becoming even more imperative. Our children are also invaluable resources. Babies begin to acquire language within months of being born, and by the age of five, they have mastered the basic sound system
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and grammar of their mother tongue. Therefore, it is crucial to focus on early childhood language immersion programs that involve young children and their parents. Pertaining to documentation resources, we have the Tahltan Children’s Illustrated Dictionary, with the need for a more extensive dictionary and grammar guide. Regarding language learning materials, we have the Basic Tahltan Conversation Lessons, three booklets and audio recordings that were created in collaboration with Iskut Elders, as well as Tahltan Language Lessons (available online). While this is a good beginning, we need to be doing so much more in regards to the documentation of our language and the development of effective language learning materials. From First Peoples’ Cultural Council’s 2010 report, much of what needs to be done to revitalize our language can be accomplished under the guidance of a “language authority” whose role is to: govern language-related initiatives, approve work done on the language, develop language-based policies, take responsibility for the revitalization future of the language, develop a viable and sustainable plan for community language revitalization, plan and implement language revitalization projects, and certify language teachers. A “language authority” would empower our people to take control of not only the revitalization of our language, but also our education and health in regards to language revitalization. As well, with the need for human resources to both teach the language and develop documentation resources, this will be an important career opportunity for many of our people.
Objectives: The Tahltan Nation wishes to create a governing body, which will provide governance and guidance in regards to the revitalization of our language.
Protocol Agreement Whereas: •
The members of the Tahltan Nation seek to document, preserve, promote, and revitalize the Tahltan language;
•
The members of the Tahltan Nation seek to bring our communities together into one strong and unified nation in order to work together to revitalize the Tahltan language;
•
The members of the Tahltan Nation seek to increase the number of fluent speakers;
We agree to work together to undertake the following activities in order to document, preserve, and revitalize the Tahltan language; •
By establishing a Tahltan Language and Culture Advisory Panel made up of at least one fluent speaker who is appointed by Council from each community (including the TCC), who
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will provide advice to and seek support from Leadership in regard to promoting language and culture revitalization, provide guidance in the creation of short and long-term language and culture revitalization plans, act as a language authority in the certification of Tahltan language teachers for the BC Teacher Regulation Branch, and serve as the decisionmaking body for language and culture revitalization; •
By establishing a Tahltan Nation Working Group made up of the Tahltan Language and Culture Lead and Tahltan Language Revitalization Coordinators from all three communities. This group will seek guidance from the Language and Culture Advisory Panel in order to collaborate, plan, and administer the Tahltan Language and Culture Plan;
•
By creating language teams in each of the three communities to interview fluent speakers in order to document the language, as well as creating language resources;
•
By supporting the training of Tahltan individuals who wish to learn and document the language;
•
By supporting the training of Tahltan individuals who wish to teach the language and learn how to develop language learning materials;
•
By conducting a language survey that reaches out to all Tahltan members, regardless of their place of residence or occupation in the Tahltan territory, that can be used to: determine the degree of language knowledge and usage in the community, identify individuals who are interested in participating in the revitalization process, find out what kinds of language projects Tahltan members would like to see implemented, and understand attitudes of all Tahltan members towards our language and language revitalization;
•
By carrying out research on the language, as well as to find out such things as: what resources are available, what other language revitalization programs are doing provincially, federally and globally;
•
By ensuring that language resources (both written and audio- and video-recording) are safely housed and inventoried and are accessible to our people;
•
By supporting the use technology to find ways to engage our young people in language learning, as well as for members who do not live on our territory but would like to learn the Tahltan language;
•
By supporting language and culture activities in both Tahltan and non-Tahltan communities, wherever Tahltan people live and show an interest in their culture and language;
•
By supporting Tahltan immersion programming for young children and their parents;
•
By supporting immersion programming for all ages;
•
By working with the schools in the three Tahltan communities to find ways of bringing Tahltan language and culture into the classroom in culturally appropriate ways (e.g. development of an accredited language program, development of curriculum for all subjects, providing workshops and other forms of training for teachers, etc.);
•
By sending Tahltan representatives to conferences, workshops and other meetings dealing with language revitalization so that they can share, learn, and network with other people
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with the same interest in revitalizing Indigenous languages and bring that knowledge back to our people; •
By promoting our language and creating awareness amongst our people about the importance of our language and how it connects us to our land, our Elders, our Ancestors, our identity as Tahltan people, our well-being, and as a form of empowerment for our nation;
We, the undersigned, agree to this Protocol, on behalf of the members of the Tahltan Nation.
__________________________________________________________________ Annita McPhee – President/Tahltan Central Council
__________________________________________________________________ Rick McLean – Chief Councillor/Tahltan Band Council
__________________________________________________________________ Marie Quock – Chief Councillor/Iskut Band Council
__________________________________________________________________ Date
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Appendices
Learn Tahltan language, save our culture New language programs coming to Tahltan Nation
Tahltans, young and old, will soon have many opportunities to learn our native language. The Tahltan and Iskut bands and the Tahltan Central Council are pushing to create a government department in charge of revitalizing the Tahltan language. Language researcher Dr. Judy Thompson was hired as part of this government effort, and says her late grandpa, 101-year-old Charles Callbreath, was thrilled up until his last days that the community was returning to its language roots. “Grandpa loved sharing and teaching the Tahltan language to me. He would leave me telephone messages about a TV show I should watch… and he would say it in Tahltan! I could hear my granny laughing in the background," joked Thompson. She believes her grandpa fought to live just long enough in October 2010 to see the 100th anniversary of the Tahltan declaration in his hometown of Telegraph Creek.
Socio-Cultural Working Group Report
Language researcher Judy Thompson with her late grandparents Julia and Charles Callbreath at the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Tahltan declaration in Telegraph Creek. Her grandpa was excited about Tahltan language revitalization efforts.
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Language researcher Judy Thompson with her late grandparents Julia and Charles Callbreath at the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Tahltan declaration in Telegraph Creek. Her grandpa was excited about Tahltan language revitalization efforts. "Born in 1909, Grandpa was the only living Tahltan to be alive for both the actual signing of the declaration in 1910 and for the 100th anniversary. He was so proud and happy that day. He felt like a king." "He passed away just five days later." Iskut Band Chief Marie Quock says the loss of Elders is a big problem for keeping the language alive. “I think we are losing our language really fast. We need to regain it because its part of our identity. It’s important for our children to learn our language too,” said Quock. Thompson, who was hired by the Tahltan governments, believes there are only 30 speakers left down from 50 in the last few years. "We need to be working with our fluent speakers now, before they leave us to be with our Ancestors," said Thompson. Her Indigenous language research has taught that the first step to reverse language loss is early childhood education. "Our children need to be learning our language the moment they are born," says Thompson. She wants to start "language nest” programs where children, 6-months to 5-years-old, spend several hours a day with fluent speakers , and speak only Tahltan. "It's like going to grandma's house - you just hang out, play, and speak the language," says Thompson. The new government effort will sort out how to deliver this and other language programs from Language research assistant, Sonia Dennis, pre-school through K-12, as well as for adults. presenting a flag to 101-year-old Elder Charles Callbreath on October 18, 2010 – the 100th Casual learners could join "immersion evening" anniversary of the signing of our Nation’s classes that are being organized to take place declaration. in our three Tahltan communities, for example. Contact the new Language and Culture office in Dease Lake for more information. (250-771-4000)
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More dedicated learners have the opportunity of getting paid to learn Tahltan part-time. The "Master-Apprentice" program works like this – the learner (“apprentice”) works with a fluent speaker (“master”), and commits to conversing 10-20 hours in the Tahltan language per week carrying out everyday activities. Both earn money for this time. Applications can be made to the First Peoples' Cultural Council at (250) 652-5952 or www.fpcc.ca Other efforts include the creation of dictionaries, grammar guides, atlases, teacher accreditations, and school curriculums. Thompson recently completed a PhD in Tahltan Language Revitalization, and her efforts to learn the Tahltan language thrilled her grandparents. Like many fluent speakers of Aboriginal languages, they were made to feel ashamed to speak Tahltan, due to colonization and assimilation. "When I first wanted to learn the Tahltan language over 20 years ago, my grandparents started to speak Tahltan with each other for the first time in years. Not even their children learned Tahltan from them." “My mother would say 'Hey - you never taught those words to me in Tahltan!’ And my grandpa would say, 'Oh are you jealous?' -- and she would say, 'Yeah I am!’” Language preservation and revitalization is a key effort of the "Socio-Cultural Working Group" -- a Tahltan government initiative to improve culture, health, and job-readiness in advance of resourcedevelopments opened up by the Northwest Transmission Line.
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Mystery of Tahltan language “code” revealed Saving our language possible with new understanding of language
Elder Mary Dennis (left) listening to iPod sound files with language researcher Odelia Dennis (middle) and fluent speaker / teacher Angela Dennis (right). The coordinator of a language revitalization effort in Tahltan Nation says his team has made an important discovery that will help save our language, before it disappears. After a year of study, Oscar Dennis says he, along with Reginald and Ryan Dennis, have finally cracked the code on Tahltan language’s fundamental patterns. "We figured it out, so now we can teach it! This is so fundamental. [It] shortens the learning process significantly.” Elders, who speak the language fluently, learned these Tahltan patterns effortlessly by ear from birth. But Dennis says they could not easily explain them. "They didn't understand the question, because they learned the language aurally.“
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That’s been a problem for classroom learners who often need visual instructions, such as grammar rules on a blackboard. Until now, the patterns weren’t fully known. Many students merely memorized jumbles of phrases without much success.
Our language is encoded with patterns Dennis says the trick was realizing how short Tahltan syllables are added to words to create new phrases and meanings. “Once you catch on to the patterns, you can quickly learn 80 different ways of talking about walking in the bush.” Oscar Dennis, Language Revitalization Coordinator
Take the Tahltan example of "dīn·dā" which means, “you are going.” Add a prefix, to make “ka-dīn·dā" – and it becomes "you are going to get.”
Add a suffix, to make "ka-din·da-la" – and it becomes a question: "Are you going to get it?" Dennis says a PhD linguist – named Dr. Gregory Anderson from the Living Tongues Institute – visited our territory, and was so impressed with the team’s work that he said he “couldn’t improve upon it.” "It was a lot of hard work, but it was very exciting. We realized we were right, and our hard work wasn't futile."
Native language codes in Hollywood film Tahltan is a Dene dialect, with the same “encoded” patterns found in Navaho. That’s why Navaho was used as a code system in World War Two – an idea celebrated in the Hollywood film “Wind Talkers” – starring Nicholas Cage and Canadian Aboriginal actor Adam Beach (now of Arctic Air fame). Understanding the Tahltan language system of patterns will help change the way Tahltan has many of the same encoded patterns as our language classes are developed to Navaho – a language celebrated in the WWII codeteach children and adults. breaker film “Wind Talkers”
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Tahltan meets the iPod Learners can also now use iPods to access our growing digital archive at the Tahltan Language Revitalization Offices in Dease Lake, Iskut and Telegraph Creek. t’s a massive digital library of Tahltan recordings, including hundreds of songs and conversations. The oldest are songs recorded on wax cylinders by James Teit in 1912.
Lho'oks (Ryan Dennis) editing and digitizing linguistic data for the Tahltan Digital Archive. Ryan is one of the language researchers and is a very advanced Tahltan Second Language speaker.
There is also a 1991 recording of Angela Dennis and Regina Louie on how to talk about clothing, going to the store, time of day, animals, colours, and weather for example. More recent recordings from 2012 include conversations between: Oscar Dennis and his father James; and Reginald Dennis and his
grandparents Loveman and Sara Nole. These language efforts are part of the Socio-Cultural Working Group initiative – a partnership of Tahltan and Iskut bands and Tahltan Central Council to revitalize our culture in advance of resource developments.
Want to learn Tahltan? Contact us! Tahltan Language Revitalization Offices: Iskut: (250) 234-3064 Dease lake: (250) 771-4000 Telegraph Creek: (250) 235-3151 Website: didenekeh.com Facebook: Tahltan Language Collective Facebook Tahltan Thomas and Tahltan Family and Kids Language & Culture Lead: Judy Thompson Language Revitalization Coordinator: Oscar Dennis Language Research Assistants: Odelia Dennis, Reginald Dennis, Ryan Dennis, Verna Vance and Sonia Dennis
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